Ill Fated Hero
by LilleahWest aka TheBeastcub
Summary: Born in a time where the legend of the Goddesses and their Triforce has been condemned as heresy Link is born destined to have the mark of Courage die with him, ending the cycle of the hero. A friendship with royalty, a rebellion against the crown, a hero held prisoner, the Goddesses can indeed be cruel to their fated hero, but will they let the legacy end with his life?


The kindly old witch hag held the newborn babe she had come so far to meet, the child of fate, the bearer of Courage... The child who's parents must hide from those who hold power over the land of Hyrule. These are not kindly times for those of fate as the Golden Goddesses had been denounced and reduced into hearsay generations prior.

But as the bedraggled old Gerudo witch laid hands on the child she could feel that something was amiss, though she could sense the mark of Courage within the boy he bore no such mark on his body, his hand laid bare.

With the weakness of Goddess faith in the land Link's Triforce of Courage was cursed to remain with him in death, that the cycle of the hero will die with him. When asked if there is any hope the curse can be broken the witch hag was only able to respond with:

"We will only know with time if the land can heal him"

~

Link started his life humble, born on a farm, raised attending to his many animals. Before Link could reach nine the blonde blue-eyed boy was forcibly taken from his family to work in the stables at the palace. Being young and talented with animals he soon was put in charge of the steed of the young prince, a boy who was only four months his senior.

Through their interactions at the stable Link and the Prince became friends, being an only child and not allowed to interact with peasant children the typically ignored Prince was naturally lonely and looked to Link to be his secret playmate. Over the years the two would often sneak off to have adventures unfitting of a proper prince.

Right up into the start of adulthood the two lived relatively uneventful lives, save for the fun they would rummage up together under the noses of those in charge... but times would change.

Link as a young adult found himself fated to lead a rebellion in the name of the denounced Goddesses against the King of Hyrule. In time he would become known as the notorious "Green Rebel" named as such for the green tunic and cap he wore into battle atop his flaxen maned warhorse. The King had always been a tyrant but now, unknown to many, the King had become a puppet of evil set to destroy and poison the land and its people, and Link could not let that happen. The Prince eager to join Link at his side was told by the hero to stand down, Link told him that Hyrule would need its future king and that as the Prince he should do nothing to jeopardize this. Reluctantly the Prince stayed behind the castle walls, but did what he could to help without being found out.

Upon Link vanquishing the evil that held Hyrule in its grasp the Tyrant King was set free to continue being his usual tyrant self. Though the King was a tyrant Link knew that the death of the current king would directly endanger the Prince and leave Hyrule in a chaos that the kingdom would be unable to recover from for centuries. Link had sacrificed much for Hyrule, and in the end knew he would have to sacrifice everything he had left.

Link let himself become a martyr and surrendered under the agreement that his fellow rebels be allowed their freedom. Since that day he has sat in chains, behind bars cast in darkness, in the lowest level of the prison under the castle.

Shortly after Link's imprisonment the Prince secretly went to see him, and did so at much risk as his Father's men scrutinize his every move, for at the end of the war they decided to build him up as an heir. Despite the risk he was compelled to try and convince Link to seek freedom. Link refused. The young hero had sacrificed much for Hyrule and dying in that cell would be his final sacrifice to the peace of the ancient land he called home. Link was confident that if he remained in chains fate would take course with Hyrule held in its grace.

As the years passed the Tyrant King passed of natural causes and the Prince took up the crown. Again he secretly went to see Link. The hero's weathered appearance broke the heart of the now Young King. Again he urged the wrongfully imprisoned hero to take his freedom, that as king he could pardon him, but Link said that would only cause deadly conflict. Link reminded the Young King that while he is king he does not hold all the power of the kingdom, and that many in the kingdom believe nothing of the evil Link rose against, that by siding with a notorious convicted heretic the Young King would appear daft and unfit to rule. No one must know they ever were acquainted.

His release would risk too much. Link would remain where he was and implored the Young King to not tempt fate by seeing him again.

The Young King left that day vowing to himself that some day, even if it need be when the two were old and withered and he could feign dementia, that he would see Link have his freedom.

~

Years later, early one crisp spring morning as the king ate his first meal of the day, one of the maids made her way secretly to his side. This maid normally tends to the prisoners, unbeknown to all the Young King himself selected this woman for her kindness, her trust and her understanding. Those many years back he had informed her to be as kindly to one prisoner in particular as much as she was able without raising suspicion with the guards... as the maid passed the table... the Young King was informed that his imprisoned friend had fallen ill... and died.

In shock the Young King left the table and made his way down to the prison. One must first pass the guard's section of the prison before reaching the cells, it was here where the body of the martyr lie under a tattered blanket, his exposed face fallow and pale but peaceful, graced with the faintest of smiles.

A few of the former King's most favored government officials are found in the room, of them one wants to publicly dispose of the body and disgrace the rebel leader who dared a "failed uprising" against the previous King. Walking in on this talk the Young King in a moment of anger almost jeopardizes Link's sacrifice as he berates the men.

"Though you and many chose to lay blind to the conflict of the world this man did not, and rose against it even though it meant rising against the crown. If it were not for his rebellion Hyrule would have fallen to a ruin that so many sat blind to. I allowed him to remain captive all these years as it was his last sacrifice to the peace of this kingdom, but I will not let you disgrace him in death. Leave my sight at once. I will decide what is to be done with the remains of the prisoner." the Young King struggled not to choke on his last words.

Realizing his actions bordered on heresy the Young King kept a stern face and imposing demeanor as the government officials stared back at him. Confused by the Young King's outburst and sudden interest in the Green Rebel the men left. As he heard the door clank close the Young King sat heavily next to the body of his friend, half collapsing to the ground, and wept quietly.

The maid who had informed him of the death came a short time later to attend to the other prisoners, spotting the Young King she let out a little gasp and turned to leave, but the mourning man beckoned her to stay.

As the two sat in quiet grief the prison maid's sad soft voice broke the silence. She spoke of how when Link fell ill he hid it well, not that it would have mattered as prisoners are granted no care. She told the Young King that Link had made her promise not to inform the king that he was ill, that he knew the Young King would risk too much to try and save him. Her voice broke as she repeated what Link had last said, he had said that perhaps the Goddesses were not so cruel after all since they are letting him go so early.

After a heavy silence the Young King let out a shuddering sigh and spoke "Though Link deserves it I know he would not wish to be placed in the catacombs of the castle... Link was born humble, he never took kindly to the fuss of him being a chosen hero..."

Knowing that it is not unusual for the bodies of perished prisoners to be returned to their families, the king ordered that the body be buried on the farm from hence Link was taken from as a boy, the farm that now lies empty as the last of his family died long ago. He orders a simple stone mark his grave.

On the day of his burial the king feigns mild illness with instructions that his sleeping chambers be undisturbed, allowing himself to sneak out with the cart. While Link's demise had been announced to the kingdom it was unannounced to the land when or where he was to be buried or that this cart carried the hero's body, which was wrapped in a simple cloth as prisoners are never graced with coffins.

Cloaked, unspoken and unshaven only the prison maid is wise to the fact the king is in procession. The other two men with them were too forlorn to care who their company of the cloaked man and simple woman were. The two men, one lanky and one burly, had been Link's closest comrades in the rebellion, and were men whom the Young King sought specifically for this task.

Upon reaching the farm The Young King reveals himself and with a heavy heart and sorrow in his tone explains his long term kinship with the fallen hero and apologizes for Link's fate. The men in tears speak through voices gripped in grief promise secrecy and wish the Young King no harm in the matter, easily understanding Link's request to remain captive.

Together they bury Link under a tree overlooking a vast field, next to where his warhorse Epona had been buried almost two decades earlier as she perished in combat just near the end of the war, a hard day for the then young and valiant rebel leader clad in green. They placed a large stone upon the fresh soil that now cloaked the hero and stayed in silence a while, hearts aching for their ill-fated comrade.

The two men left the graveside to allow the cart horse to graze so as to let the Young King and the maid have some time alone. The prison maid spoke of how quickly Link had befriended her in that cell, how kindly he was. She spoke of sneaking Link his favorite apples just as the Young King had secretly requested and how Link was always so grateful and always ate the whole thing core and all. She spoke of how the young man always met her with a smile, how often he was in a meditative state when she arrived, how he had said that if he focused hard enough his thoughts could take him out of that cell and back into the open fields he loved. Her voice cracked with her last statement and she excused herself, she sat in the cart to cry, too overcome with grief.

Alone now, the Young King removed from is satchel the tools he had brought, in front of others he dared not go further with his wishes for Link's burial so as not to undo the peace the hero had kept by dying such a loathsome death... but he simply could not bring himself to leave his friend in an unmarked grave, Link deserved better, the hero deserved so much better than what fate had bestowed him in the end.

Knowing his name would be too much the Young King carved into the stone the Triforce, a symbol of older times, the symbol of the Goddesses Link swore everything to... and under the etching of the Triforce he carved the words:

"Here lies Hyrule's Courage"

~

Unbeknownst to the Young King his loyalty to his friend would save Hyrule's future. Link having been buried in the soil of the land of which he had given everything to save, and with having been given the acknowledgement of his role with the Goddesses, the curse cast on the Triforce of Courage at his birth had been reversed.

The Goddesses had forgiven the land of Hyrule, and the very land in which Link had been placed healed his curse.

With Link's humble burial the cycle of the hero began anew.


End file.
